Filmmaker Ethan Coen has left his big brother behind and written three short plays all by himself. Called Almost an Evening, the triptych will be produced by the Atlantic Theater Company with a terrific cast that includes Elizabeth Marvel, who was riveting in Ivo van Hove’s unforgettable revival of Hedda Gabler, and Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham. The plays “unsuccessfully tackle important questions. In Waiting, someone waits somewhere for quite some time. In Four......

This week, Sarah Michelle Gellar is back for more creepy girls hiding in her hair in the new sequel, The Grudge 2. Amber Tamblyn plays her sister, who also travels to Tokyo and is also infected by the grudge inducing curse. While both American versions of the Grudge movies were directed by their Japanese creator Takashi Shimizu, it would seem that the better material would be in the originals, so we suggest renting those instead.......

...this week has got it all. Kick it off tonight at the South Street Seaport Museum (Melville Gallery, 213 Water Street), as the New York Review of Science Fiction Readings presents Robert Freeman Wexler (his latest novel is Circus of the Grand Design) and Gregory Frost (with his latest, Attack of the Jazz Giants). The reading starts at 7PM and the suggested donation is $5. Tomorrow night (4/5), head down to KGB Bar (85 E.......

Today Gothamist has quite the conundrum on its hands…with so many good shows happening this week all over our fair city, how do we narrow it all down? There’s a bit of a hodge-podge of things happening tonight, so rather than file them all under comedy, it’s probably safer to refer to them as a canon of miscellany. The first option we are mulling over is the eclectic variety show Sxip’s Hour of Charm, happening......

It's quite the red letter week for us bookish types, with the prestigious, sometimes baffling, and oft-maligned National Book Awards dinner and awards ceremony tomorrow night where trophies will be bestowed, granted, totally robbed, whatever, at the Marriott Marquis. To that end, critic A.O. Scott has an interesting article about the contradictions and complications inherent to the awards, Medal Fatigue (registration required). Garrison Keillor is the Master of Ceremonies which, frankly, is why Gothamist wishes......

The New York Film Critics' Circle has announced its picks for the year in film, with many smaller films getting kudos, but studio epic Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was called best picture. Lost in Translation was recognized with Sofia Coppola as best director and Billy Murray as best actor (from indie major Focus Features), and indie Secret Lives of Dentists emerging with best actress Hope Davis (earning the award for......

Gothamist saw American Splendor this past weekend and enjoyed this twist on a biopic. The film offers Paul Giamatti as underground writer/cartoonist (though he doesn't draw) Harvey Pekar, as well as the real Harvey Pekar giving narration, as well as other real-life people making appearances alongside the actors who portray them. Giamatti is so perfect as this beleagured, lonely crank, with mouth partly open, perhaps in pain, that it's almost painful to watch. And......